Dry eyes are becoming more prevalent as we spend more time in front of digital screens. For some, there’s an easy fix, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup.

IT is said that for every problem, there is a solution. In terms of our body issues, we’ve become accustomed to slapping on moisturiser for dry skin, deodorant for body odour and conditioners for more manageable hair.

These products give comfort and provide solutions to problems we might not have encountered, if it weren’t for our modern lifestyle.

Lately, one such problem is digital eye strain. It is a physical discomfort characterised by dryness, irritation and blurred vision after staring at digital devices for more than two hours at close or mid-range.

The strain may not be due to the screen display alone but also the blue light emitted by these devices.

This situation did not occur a century ago. Even a decade ago, it wasn’t so extensive.

When the body is not able to cope with the lifestyle change, there will be consequences. Over time, digital eye strain can lead to dry eyes. This isn’t difficult to imagine – some people spend more time looking at their screens than they do sleeping.

DON’T FORGET TO BLINK
There’s no getting away from using computers, smartphones or tablets these days. But we tend to become so engrossed at what we’re looking at that we forget to blink, and blinking is what keeps the eye lubricated.

“A thin layer of tear is supposed to spread at the surface of the eye every time a person blinks,” says consultant ophthalmologist Dr Siva Kumar Sundralingam from Columbia Asia Hospital Klang.

Dry eyes are becoming more prevalent as we spend more time in front of digital screens. For some, there’s an easy fix, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup.

IT is said that for every problem, there is a solution. In terms of our body issues, we’ve become accustomed to slapping on moisturiser for dry skin, deodorant for body odour and conditioners for more manageable hair.

These products give comfort and provide solutions to problems we might not have encountered, if it weren’t for our modern lifestyle.

Lately, one such problem is digital eye strain. It is a physical discomfort characterized by dryness, irritation and blurred vision after staring at digital devices for more than two hours at close or mid-range.

The strain may not be due to the screen display alone but also the blue light emitted by these devices.

This situation did not occur a century ago. Even a decade ago, it wasn’t so extensive.

When the body is not able to cope with the lifestyle change, there will be consequences. Over time, digital eye strain can lead to dry eyes. This isn’t difficult to imagine – some people spend more time looking at their screens than they do sleeping.

DON’T FORGET TO BLINK
There’s no getting away from using computers, smartphones or tablets these days. But we tend to become so engrossed at what we’re looking at that we forget to blink, and blinking is what keeps the eye lubricated.

“A thin layer of tear is supposed to spread at the surface of the eye every time a person blinks,” says consultant ophthalmologist Dr Siva Kumar Sundralingam from Columbia Asia Hospital Klang…

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